Love Is Where They Are

I went rigid with fear as I heard the front door slam. Oh shit. I thought. He’s REALLY pissed today. I started to violently tremble as I thought about what awaited me. Harry saw that I was shaking and pulled me close. “Calla, what’s wrong?” he asked. I pushed him away. “Harry, you should go. I don’t want him to see you.” I told him. Hurt flashed across his eyes. “Why? Are you upset with me?” he asked. My mouth dropped open. “No! Of course not. It’s just…” I trailed off as I heard my brother stomping up the stairs. “Where are you, you little BITCH?! I saw a car in the driveway. I know you’re home!” he yelled. I felt a tear slide down my face.

Harry’s face went from hurt, to concerned. “Calla?” he asked again. “You need to tell me what’s going on.” He said, his voice full of sympathy. I swallowed. Maybe it was time I told someone. I took a deep breath. “He hurts me.” I said. Harry frowned. “What do you mean?” I swallowed, hard. “Every day after school, he comes home and takes out all his frustration on me. He hits me, cuts me, he’s even burned me once or twice.” I told him. Harry’s eyes went black with rage.

“He…WHAT?!” Harry said, his voice choked with rage. He turned toward the door and grabbed my wrist. “No more.” He said to me. He opened the door and pulled me down the hall. “What’s your brother’s name?” he asked. “Adrian.” I said. “Hey, Adrian.” Harry called loudly. There was no answer. “ADRIAN! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FUCKING CUNT?!” I gasped at Harry’s vulgarity. “Sorry,” he whispered, winking at me. “I had to get his attention.” I heard feet running up the stairs and then Adrian appeared in the hallway. I quaked, and gripped Harry’s hand tighter so that my knees wouldn’t give out underneath me. Harry leaned in and whispered, “I’ve got you.” I nodded and pressed up against him, almost hiding behind him.

“Get over here NOW, Calla.” Adrian said through gritted teeth. I swallowed and took a step forward, but Harry held me back. “No.” he said. “Harry?” I whispered. “What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed. He looked at me fondly. “Protecting you.” My insides melted. No one had ever said that to me before. It was kind of…nice. Adrian’s angry glare, however, brought me back to reality. “Who the hell are you? Why are you in my house?” he asked, arms visibly shaking with pent-up anger. Harry stood in front of me, shielding me with his arms. “I’m a friend of Calla’s. I brought her home today, and she just told me what’s been going on.”

Adrian’s chuckle was full of menace and anger. He pointed a finger at me, and I almost passed out. “Didn’t I say what would happen if you told anyone?” I started to cry. “What did I say?” he asked. I clung to Harry’s arm as he came closer. “WHAT DID I SAY?” he yelled. I was full-on sobbing now. “You-you said you would k-kill any-anyone who-who knew.” I said, my voice shaking. Adrian nodded and crossed his arms over his chest and looked Harry over. “You know what I’m going to do now, you slut?” he asked. My eye widened. “N-no, p-p-please, don’t…” Adrian interrupted my plea. “I’m going to kill him while you watch.” I started to sob really hard. Harry took me in his arms and held me close. “He won’t even touch me.” I looked up at him, tears falling down my face and streaking my cheeks with mascara lines. “How can you be sure of that?” Harry smiled. “Just trust me.” Harry took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

Adrian laughed. “Wouldn’t want to get blood all over that coat, now would we?” he asked, laughing maniacally. “Now that I think about it, I’ll keep it as a souvenir after I get done killing you.” He said, flexing his muscles and getting into his fighting stance. I rolled my eyes. Harry smirked. “You’ve overlooked one big hole in your plan.” He said. Adrian narrowed his eyes evilly. “Oh yeah? And what would that be?” Harry chuckled. “You have to actually touch me first.” He said. With a roar of rage, Adrian threw himself at Harry. What came next was nothing short of amazing. Harry delivered a swift blow to Adrian’s jaw, and, while Adrian howled in pain, Harry grabbed him by the waist, judo-flipped him, and laid his ass on the floor. Adrian started to get up, but Harry put his foot on Adrian’s chest.

“I would stay down if I were you.” He said. For the first time in a long time, I saw something reminiscent to fear in Adrian’s eyes. Harry turned to me. “Calla,” he said calmly. “I want you to go to your room. I want you to pack a bag with enough clothes to last a week. Then,” he continued. “I want you to call your parents, and tell them what’s been going on. Then, I want you to call the police.” I nodded and raced to my room. I did what he said and packed a bag. I then grabbed my cell phone and called my parents, and then the police. I went back into the hallway, my bag slung over my shoulder, and saw that Harry and Adrian were still in the same positions they were in when I left them.

“What do I need a bag for?” I asked Harry. He looked at me kindly. “You’re going to be staying with me until for the time being.” He nudged Adrian’s cheek with his boot. “At least, until what’s decided for this piece of trash.” I started to hear sirens, and I began to shake again. Adrian started to laugh. “You’ll never get the charges to stick.” I cocked my head to the side. “Oh. I wouldn’t be so sure.” I pulled a thick stack of 8” by 10” photos from my purse. “I’m sure that when the jury sees these, you won’t be so smug.” They were color photos of all the bruises, the cuts, and burns that he had ever given me. Harry’s eyes widened simultaneously with Adrian’s, when he saw the size of the fucking dossier-sized packet. Adrian laughed again, but it was obviously a bluff. “You won’t show that to them.” Adrian said, obviously uncertain. “Oh won’t I?” I said, waving them close to his face, so close that his eyes crossed because he was trying to look at them. I laughed and put them back in my purse.

I heard banging on the door, and looked over at Harry. “Answer the door, Calla, I’ve got him from here.” He said. I bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Mr. and Mrs. Brennan, this is the police. Please open the door so we can talk.” I heard the police banging on the door as I reached for the knob. I opened the door. “My parents aren’t home right now, but please, come in.” The policeman and the woman next to him, who I can only assume was his partner, smiled at me and came in. “I assume you got our call?” I asked. The policeman frowned. “People usually aren’t so calm about this. Where’s your brother?” I motioned toward the staircase. “He’s upstairs being detained until you get here.” His partner laughed. “Did you tie him up or something?” she asked. I smiled back. “Not exactly.” I stood up. “Follow me and you’ll see what I mean.”

They followed me up the stairs, where Adrian was waiting practically gift-wrapped for them. The male police officer knelt down close to Adrian’s face while he struggled like a hog in a trap. “Sir, you have the right to remain silent.” The officer read Adrian his rights as he pulled his handcuffs out and cuffed his hands. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you by the court.” The officer continued talking as he walked downstairs. Harry stood from where he had been squatting for nearly an hour while keeping Adrian at bay, and I heard him groan as his knees popped. “Are you alright?” I asked, concerned because I knew what it was like to have bad knees. My knees sometimes would give out during intense physical exercise, and I would fall to the ground like a felled tree.

“I’m fine.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. The female police officer came up the stairs. “Ms. Brennan, if you wouldn’t mind, could you come downstairs? There are many things that need to be discussed.” I frowned. “Such as?” She shrugged. “Where you will be staying until the trial, what your parents are going to do about his sociopathic tendencies, things relating to Adrian, as well as yourself.” I nodded, and we all went downstairs into the kitchen. Suddenly, she frowned. “By the way, when are your parents going to be home?” I shrugged. “They should be here any minute. I called them after I called you guys.” Just then, I heard a key turn in the front door lock, followed by shouts for me, and asking where I was. “In the kitchen, you guys!” I yelled. Moments later, my frazzled mom and dad were standing in the kitchen. Mom rushed over. “What happened?” she asked. “You had us so worried!” she said. The female officer stepped up. “Ma’am, we received a call that there have been certain goings-on with your son and daughter.

My dear sweet mother frowned. “Whatever do you mean?” she asked. I folded my hands in my lap and refused to speak as a sudden wave of fear spiked through my body, paralyzing my tongue. Mom looked at me. “Calla?” She let out an exasperated sigh when I refused to speak. “Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?” she asked, frustrated. “I’ll explain.” I heard Harry say from behind me. My mother’s head swiveled to him, her eyes narrowing when she realized that there was a strange boy in her house. Harry moved closer to me, and, without realizing what he was doing, put his hand on my shoulder. “Your son has been abusing Calla for about two years now.” Mom looked between us, and laughed nervously. “No…there’s no way that Adrian would…” My mom trailed off, and I realized that she was remembering all the times she had come home, and I had had cuts, bruises, and the occasional burn. I had told her that I was accident-prone, and, bless her, she believed me.

The female officer sat down and steepled her fingers in front of her face. “Calla, do you have evidence of past beatings? An X-ray of some kind, or pictures, or a scar…?” I nodded and pulled the manila envelope out of my purse. The officer grabbed it, and pulled out all the pictures. I watched my mother wince in visible pain as she saw my arms, my legs, and my face covered in bruises and cuts. She looked at Adrian, who stared straight ahead and didn’t look at anyone. “Adrian?” she asked in a trembling voice. “Is this true? Did you do this?” Adrian finally looked at her. “Yeah. So what? She deserved every last bit of it.” I gasped as I felt Harry’s hand tighten on my shoulder.

“Why would you say that?” my mother gasped. Adrian looked at the floor and said nothing. “It’s because your son is a sociopath, Mrs. Brennan.” I heard Harry say. My mom looked at him with obvious irritation in her eyes. “No offense, but why are you here, young man?” Now it was my turn to get angry. “Mom, be nice.” I hissed. She looked at me, incredulous. “Why are you defending him?” she asked. I gaped at her, my shock quickly turning to anger. She had never been this inhospitable before. “I’m defending him because he did the same thing for me this morning and just a few minutes ago.” Mom’s face quickly grew apprehensive. “What-what do you mean?” I glared at her. “Cartis tried to take advantage of me with a few of his buddies, and Harry kicked their butts for me, essentially defending my honor.” My mother turned white and looked at Harry with a new kind of respect in her eyes. I glanced at her briefly before continuing. “Then, when Adrian tried to attack me today, Harry did the same thing again. He protected me.” I stared at her, slightly mollified by her expression of respect. Harry grabbed my hand. “It was no problem, really.” He said, blushing slightly.

The policewoman cleared her throat. “Ahem, we have a few issues that need to be addressed. First off, we will be taking Adrian, and bail will be posted next week, if he makes it. Second, Calla needs to stay with someone else for awhile. Do you have any living close relatives or family friends who can take her while the issue is settled?” Mom and Dad both looked at each other, completely at a loss. We had no close friends, and the only family we had was scattered across the continental U.S. “I can take her.” Harry said. All of us looked at him, incredulous. He blushed but kept going. “Let’s face it, we can’t have her move halfway across the U.S, only to have to come back. It would be more convenient if she stayed local, and she can do that if she stays with me. It would benefit all of you.” He pointed to my parents. “You guys could see your daughter every day without having to look through a computer screen.” Next, he pointed to the cops. “And you guys will have a way to contact her in case you need her for the trial or something.”

The police and my parents both began to nod in agreement. Harry’s idea did make sense. I thought about it, but then a question popped into my mind. “Where would I stay?” I asked. All eyes turned to me, then swiveled back to Harry, awaiting his answer. “You would stay in the guest room, of course.” He said, as if it were obvious. I nodded my approval, and after the police got a few more things hammered out with my parents, they grabbed Adrian and led him away, towards the cop car. We followed them outside, and, as they were putting him in the car, he lunged, taking them by surprise and jerking out of their grasp. I screamed as he ran towards me. Harry stood in front of me and put up his fists, but there was no need. “YOU LITTLE MOTHERFUCKING BITCH! I WILL FIND YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I WILL FIND YOU, AND I WILL KILL YOU!” Adrian yelled threats, and I felt my knees give. “Whoa!” Harry said, as he caught me, and kept me from falling. “Calla?” he asked. Harry’s face was the last thing I saw before I blacked out. Then, there was nothing. Pure, blissful nothing.

Notes

Yay! So, finally got a new chapter posted. Hope that ya'll don't hate me for taking so long! But, life happened and I got busy, so yeah. I hope you like it. Sorry about the cliffhanger. JK, not really. :) Seriously though, don't forget:
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Ta-ta for now!
~Juliet